Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1887-08-20
Burning oitIse Steamer City OF Mont.
real.


The burning of the steamer City OF Mont
real st sea on ;hc l1th instant was mention
ed in yesterdays GAZETTE When the ship
WAS discovered tc be on fire momentary
panic ensued. The boats were lowered, and
passengers and crew got into them, but the
boats soon scattered, and one entirely van
! iahed. This contained Two stewards, two
seamen and seven passengers. and there is
but little doubt that the whole boat load
perished. The boat did not contain q full
crew, and left the City of Montreal against
| the captains orders, as there was time to
take many more in it. The other survivors
consider the fate Of the occupants of the lost
! boat as Judgment for their cowardice. A
bark was sighted shortly after the boats left
| the steamer, and her crew were preparing
| TO pick up tho survivors, when the steamer
York City, attracted by the flames from the
burning vessel, which we're shooting up Il
hundred feet in the air, bore down and with
| difficulty took all hands on board. Tho
! York City proceeded to London after land
ing the City of Montreal's passengers and
crew ut Queenstown. The boats were eight
| in number. and consisted of four lifcboats
and four pnnaces. These were launched
| and stocked with provisions. The flames
spread with great ferceness and the efforts
| to quench them, it WAS soon found, were fu-
| tile AT o'clock in the morning the
passengers we're marshaled on deck, pre-
paratory to entering the boats. Many
OF them were weeping, but on the
| whole, they were quiet and orderly. The
family groups presented q sight pitifu to
see, as they huddled together in fear and
| treunbling There was heavy sea running,
and it was with great difficulty that the
| boats were kept from being smashed. The
crew worked splendidy, and all the passeE.
gers were placed in the boats in compare.
lively short time How the boats hoated
with their heavy loads is a miracle. As the
last boat was putting off from TIE ship sever
. al of the passengers and crew were seen aft
They had been overlooked. and were
screaming to the boats to return. They
| were subsequently bravely rescued, half
dead from the effects of the smoke and heat.
The masts of ship were seen on the hori-
| zou, but ten hours elapsed before it came
near.
Captain Land, commander Of the Inflated
steamer makes the following report On
| the 10th instant the wind was north TO
! northwesterly About nine o'clock Of the
evening of that day fire WAS discovered in
| the after Latch among the cotton. The fire
hose was at once connected, and streams
of water were poured down upon the flames.
Annihilators and nand-grenade fire eXtin-
gushers were freely used. The fire, how
ever, overcame all efforts TO suppress it, and
spread over the upper and lower declle. The
ship was doomed from the beginning OF the
fire. and the boats had been actively prepared
and provisioned. At six o'clock on the
morning Of the 1lth instant the flames burst
! through the after matches. The boats were
the3 lowered. There was q high sea at the
| time, aud this caused much difficulty. The
women and children we're first put aboard
| the boats, and the male passengers and the
crew were embarked afterwards. The lack
! of time prevented the manning Of the boats
with their respective crews, the men being
compelled TO continue until the last moment
the work of keeping the flames down. All
the boata left The ship safely, but, by an un
! fortunate oversight, twenty people were left
aboard the burning vessel. Boat no. 8 re-
turned and took off six Of the number. Boat
| Nc 5, with the fourth officer, took of six
more I bark was then reported approach
| inc. ana when all the boats had put their
people aboard her, they returned and took
| off those remaing on the burning steamer.
| 1t WIS found that boaJ No. S WAS missing.
| She was seen TO put herself before the wind
when she left the ship, using her oars in
support of the sails. She ran away from
the vessel in direct dIsobsdiencs of the esp
tain's orders. Everybody spent the night
aboard the German bark Trabant, from
Charleston for London, and ell were
then transferred to the York City, which
stayed by througout the night and vainly
searched for the missing boat. Captain
Land says he is sanguine that the people in
| beat No. s are saved, as the accident OCCUR
red in the track of steamers bound east and
west The passengers, he adds. were cool
| and obedient during the crisis. end the crew
were steady. The passengers end crew lost
everything they had aboard the City of
Montreal, except what they stood in when
they went into the boats. The origin of the
fire, Capt. Land says, is unknown. He is
certain that it broke out in more than one
! place among the cotton.
The rescued passengers and crew when
landed at Queenstown by the York City
were in q pitiabe condition. The Inman
Company's agents st once forwarded all OF
the passengers who were prepared to con-
tlnue their travels, aud did everything pos
sihle TO De done for the comfort of the rest.
The value of the City of Montreal is esti-
mated By the company at between 100000
end S5O00O0, which is fully insured in for
eign companies.
She had no first class cabin passengers.
but carried 223 intermediate and lis steer
age, ard had a crew of so men, She had
made la VOYAGES. Capt. Land has been in
or more He is considered one of the most
careful of transatlantic captains.
ssU Enar